A Walk to Remember

“This is my story; I promise to leave nothing out. First you will smile, and then you will cry - don’t say you haven’t been warned.”

Sparks sets up the expectation that Landon’s story will be a moving one, promising both delight and extreme sadness. This encourages a sense of poignancy, even in the first creative chapters when the outcome isn’t yet revealed.

“In 1958, Beaufort, North Carolina, which is located on the coast near Morehead City, was a place like many other small southern towns. It was the kind of place where the humidity rose so high in the summer that walking out to get the mail made a person feel as he needed the shower, and kids walked around barefoot from April through October beneath oak trees draped in Spanish moss.”

Sparks sets up the picturesque Southern beach-town scene of his novel, which, following the earlier success of his 1996 novel, The Notebook, has become part of his brand. Spanish moss and high humidity are classic features of the American South, while the presence of barefoot children sets up the image of safety, security and innocence.

“Jamie wasn’t exactly what I considered attractive, either. Despite the fact that she was thin, with honey blond hair and soft blue eyes, most of the time she looked sort of… plain, and that was when you noticed her at all.”

In this passage, Sparks shows that Jamie has all of the physical attributes of a woman Landon would find attractive, but at this early stage in the story, he has not registered that she could be a potential partner. In demonstrating how Jamie is almost invisible to Landon, Sparks sets up the context for his dramatic change.

“So there I was, lying in bed all night long, slowly coming to the sinking realization that I was a loser.”

This passage illustrates that despite coming from a prominent family and thriving socially, Landon has little sense of who he is as an individual. He concludes that he is a “loser” because he has no special talent. Here, Sparks sets the scene for his blank hero, Landon, to undergo a character transformation.

“‘You have to promise that you won’t fall in love with me.’ I knew she was kidding by the way she laughed […] Sometimes, I had to admit, that Jamie had a pretty good sense of humor.”

What appears like a comic citation from Jamie at this stage in the novel, will gain tragic resonance at the end, when Landon breaks the promise and they both get hurt, because they know Jamie is dying.

“Only Jamie could find humor at a time like this. ‘I saw your picture in your grandma’s house. I was walking by, and she needed some help bringing in the groceries. Your picture was on the mantel.”

This passage shows how Jamie’s exclusion from the mainstream social scene of her peers enables her to be observant and navigate the world on her own terms. Whereas Landon is intimidated by tough, jealous Lev, Jamie distracts Lev from fighting by mentioning that she has assisted his grandmother and recognizes his face from the picture on the mantel. The passage also highlights the practical aspects of Jamie’s charity and how, despite her peers’ disdain, she quietly notices everything that goes on in town.

“I left my house twenty minutes early, so I’d have plenty of time to get there. My house was located near the waterfront in the historic part of town, just a few doors down from where Blackbeard used to live, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Jamie lived on the other side of town, across the railroad tracks, so it would take me about that long to get there.”

The physical distance between Landon and Jamie’s houses acts as metaphor for the distance between their families and upbringings. Whereas wealthy Landon, who hails from a socially prominent family, lives in the glorified historical part of town and has a view of the water, Jamie and Hegbert’s home “on the other side of town” is offered no such distinctions or landmarks. Landon’s travel from the known and historic part of town to indistinct, unchartered territory indicates that he is about to leave his comfort zone.

“Jamie turned away, but I could see the tears in her eyes. It was the first time I had seen her cry. I think part of me wanted to cry, too.”

This passage illustrates how Landon is beginning to empathize with Jamie, as he feels the selflessness of her wish to make the play the best possible version for her father, and the injustice of their peers’ teasing of her. Her tears prompt a mirror response in him and he is overwhelmed with guilt and responsibility.

“Behind her back he called her ‘The Salvation Lady,’ in obvious reference to the Salvation Army […] But when she was standing in front of him, it was another story. In his mind, she had an in with God, and he didn’t want to be in her bad graces.”

Although Jamie’s religiosity makes her a figure of ridicule to her more secular peers, they are still religious enough to be intimidated by her Christian goodwill. Eric, one of the most popular and confident kids in school, changes his behavior around her, knowing that her morality shores up the chinks in his. Jamie’s ability to influence her peers’ behavior gives the impression that, despite her unpopularity, she still has power over them.

“I spent fourteen hours memorizing my lines, cursing my friends, and wondering how my life had spun so out of control. My senior year certainly wasn’t turning out the way I thought it would when it began, but if I had to perform for a bunch of orphans, I certainly didn’t want to look like an idiot.”

At this stage in the narrative, Landon is half-regretting the changes Jamie has installed in his life, and bewildered by how he has had no choice but to let them happen. However, a more mature part of him knows that putting on a good show for the orphans is important.

“She […] turned her attention to the furnishings, which still looked practically new, even after twenty years. The furniture had been handmade, assembled or carved from mahogany or cherry, and designed specifically for each room. It was nice, I had to admit, but it wasn’t something I really thought about. To me it was just a house.”

The luxury of Landon’s ancestral inheritance is obvious to Jamie, who notes the tailor-made quality of the furnishings, which are unlike the more ramshackle arrangement in her own home. However, Landon, who has grown up in his house, takes it for granted. The passage as a whole cements the impression that Landon and Jamie have come from two different worlds.

“‘I want to get married,’ she said quietly. ‘And when I do, I want my father to walk me down the aisle and I want everyone I know to be there. I want the church bursting with people.’”

Jamie’s wish turns out to be prophetic, as by the end of the novel it is fulfilled. At this stage in the narrative, Landon thinks her idea of the future is wistful and unambitious; however, the romance-novel genre and its tropes suggest that there is a deeper poignancy—and believability—in Jamie’s wish.

“She didn’t answer, but she smiled to herself, as if she knew some secret that she was keeping from me. Like I said, I hated it when she did that.”

Landon is troubled by the lack of clarity behind Jamie’s smile. Although at this stage in the novel he mistakes it for Jamie’s sense of religious and moral superiority, the meaning behind the smile will be revealed with Jamie’s secret.

“‘You keep acting like we’re friends, but we’re not. We’re not anything. I just want the whole thing to be over so I can go back to my normal life.’”

This outburst from Landon, following a difficult day of rehearsals, marks his final attempt to break away from Jamie’s influence and return to his old ways. When he says that he and Jamie are “not anything,” he alludes to the ambiguity of their relationship at this stage in the novel given that their intimacy feels like nothing he has experienced with another person.

“Even when I was mean to her face and said the most spiteful things, she could find some reason to thank me. She was just that kind of girl, and I hated her for it. Or rather, I think, I hated myself.”

Jamie’s exceptional altruism frustrates Landon. In a way, he wishes she would give him the punishment he deserves for his rude outburst. However, his loathing and judgement eventually turns to himself, as Jamie’s goodness makes him feel guilty.

“The first words out of Tom’s mouth are, ‘you’re beautiful,’ and I was supposed to say them as if I meant them from the bottom of my heart […] The problem, however, was that I still hadn’t nailed this line yet. Sure, I said the words, but they didn’t come off too convincingly, seeing as I probably said the words like anyone would when looking at Jamie, with the exception of Hegbert.”

On the night of the performance, Landon is still anxious about saying the line that acknowledges Jamie, the Angel’s beauty. He remains unconvinced by Jamie’s physical attractiveness, believing that it would only be apparent to biased family members. Landon’s anticipated reaction paves the way for surprise for his actual reaction when Jamie appears before him in costume.

“‘You’re beautiful,’ I finally said to her, and I think everyone in the whole auditorium, from the blue-haired ladies in front to my friends in the back row, knew that I meant it.’”

Mesmerized by Jamie’s real beauty, Landon is able to deliver his line convincingly. His awareness that his sincerity is apparent to the entire auditorium prefigures his later public declaration of love to the congregation at their wedding.

“I stared at it, mesmerized, and slowly ran my hand over the top, brushing my fingers over the well-worn leather as tears filled my eyes. Jamie reached out and rested her hand on mine. It was warm and soft.”

As Jamie gifts her mother’s Bible to Landon, the imagery of spiritual awakening and sexual attraction combine. Jamie hands over the mantle of her religion to Landon and touches him sincerely at the same time. This gives the impression that her spiritual and physical attributes are inseparable.

“‘I wasn’t the one who did it. I just happened to be born into this family’ […] ‘That doesn’t mean you can’t undo it,’ she said gently, ‘when you get the opportunity.’”

When Jamie brings up the subject of the Carter family’s wrongdoings, Landon gets defensive, feeling that she is charging him with crimes he did not commit. However, Jamie remains firm in her insistence that it is in his power to absolve his family’s wrongdoing. In this instance, Jamie, who knows that she is dying, acts as Landon’s angelic guide, urging him to work towards a better future.

“It wasn’t that long, and it certainly wasn’t the kind of kiss you see in movies these days, but it was wonderful in its own way, and all I can remember about the moment is that when our lips first touched, I knew the memory would last forever.”

Landon and Jamie’s kiss is not the lustful, hungry kind that features in movies, but rather something more inspired and spiritual. The fact that the kiss is “wonderful in its own way” shows that it is as unique and incomparable as the pair’s love.

“A sad smile crossed her face, and I knew right then what she was trying to tell me. Her eyes never left mine as she finally said the words that numbed my soul. ‘I’m dying, Landon.’”

One of Jamie’s mysterious smiles returns when she delivers the news that she is dying. The soul-numbing effect on Landon encapsulates his total devastation.

“These days it might have been different. These days they could have treated her. These days Jamie would probably live. But this was happening forty years ago, and I knew what that meant. Only a miracle could save her.”

As an older man, Landon reflects that had Jamie been living in more recent times, her problem might have been cured; however, in those days of more primitive medical knowledge, they were reliant on miracles to save her. This passage underscores the difference both in medicine and attitudes to religion between the time the novel was set and the time it was written.

“I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it to the earnestness of others. The words made me choke up again, and just as I was about to cry, the meaning of it suddenly became clear. God had finally answered me, and I suddenly knew what I had to do.”

In his despair at Jamie’s death, Landon turns to the Bible for help. This marks a shift from trying to deal with his impeding loss through logic to adopting a more surrendered, spiritual attitude. When he comes across the above passage at random, he believes that it holds a special message to him from God. He interprets the message as meaning that he should marry Jamie.